Collapsible container such as a suitcase, attache case, or the like



July 22, 1941. w. T. CROSS COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER SUCH AS A SUITCASE, ATTACHE CASE, OR THE LIKE 2 Sheets-She et 1 Filed June 29, 1939 Jai /M. 4 TTOR/VEY July 22, 1941. w. 'r. CROSS COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER SUCl-LAS A SUITCASE, ATTACHE CASE, OR THE LIKE Filed June 29, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR A TT'ORNEY Patented July 22, 1941 COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER. SUCH AS A SUIT- CASE, ATTACHE CASE, OR THE LIKE Walter Thomas Cross, Sale, England, assignor to Barrow, Hepburn and Gale Limited, London,

England Application June 29, 1939, Serial No. 281,760 In Great Britain September 15, 1938 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to collapsible suitcases,

The main object of the invention is to enable the case to be collapsed below the handle-carrying wall of the bag so that the bag can as well be carried by the usual handle when collapsed as when extended.

A further object of the invention is to preserve the conventional form and, proportions of the usual rigid case and especially (1) the form of the lid with the front and end flanges which so usefully help to retain the contents of the case therein without however through providing such flanges materially reducing the compact volume to which the case can be collapsed and (2) the usual arrangement of the fastening appointments on the front flange and the handlecarrying wall of the case.

A further object of the invention is to achieve the foregoing objects while permitting the lid to be hinged from the back wall of the case thereby, as in an ordinary rigid suitcase, permitting the lid to be folded away from the front Wall when opening the lid.

A further object of the invention is to enable the foregoing objects to be achieved whilst ensuring that what are the interior surfaces of the case when extended are substantially entirely enclosed when the case is collapsed.

In order that the present invention may be the more readily understood, reference is hereinafter made to the constructional forms illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible suitcase according to the present invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrammatic views of the suitcase in intermediate stages of collapsing.

Fig. 4 shows the suitcase in cross-section on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 illustrates a part of the rear side wall of the suitcase on an enlarged scale.

Figs. 6 and 7 show modified constructions of backing member which may be employed.

In the oblong rectangular suitcaseshown in the drawings as wider than it'is deep, the lid panel I, sewn to the rear wall at l'a, to form a flexible hinge the bottom 2 and the end walls 3, 3 are formed. of a flexible material such as hide, thin leather, rexine, leathercloth, canvas-or other suitable fabric or material and the front and rear walls 4 and 5 are formed of similar material appropriately stiffened by attached pieces 4a of strawboard, fibre or plywood for example, or otherwise formed of a stiff material such as strong leather, metal, wood, millboard, rubber or a woven fabric of suitable thickness, the stiffening material being solid or perforate and covered in any suitable material as desired. The lid I is provided with a front flange 6 and end flanges l, I which are hinged by the flexible hinges 69, lg, lg to the front and end edges of the lid panel so as to be foldable to lie against the lid panel. The flexible hinges lie alongside the lines of junction of the bound edges of the lid panel and the flanges. The front flange 6 maybe however in one piece with the flexible lid panel and appropriately stiffened. The end flanges 1, l are arranged to fold under the front flange 6 at the front corners by means of the oblique folds Id of the flexible end flanges l, 1.

Where stiffened flanges are employed, we transversely interrupt the stiffening of the end flanges 1, I so as to provide flexible hinges at lo, 10 whereby the lid may be folded back on itself along the hinge defined by'fold line 1e as shown in Fig. 2 so as to bring together those surfaces on each side of said hinge which form part of the interior surface of the extended case. Where the end flanges are so stiffened the outer end portion of each end flange beyond the line 1a is left unstiffened.

The bottom 2 of the case folds inwards of the case (see Fig; 2) about a flexible hinge If so as to bring together those surfaces on each side of the. hinge which form a part of the finished exterior surface of the case. Therefore the bottom folds in the reverse way to the lid panel.

The flexible lid 1 and the flexible bottom 2 may be stiffened on'either side of medial longitudinal flexible hinge portions 1e, 1 Fig. 2, if so desired.

Fig. :3 .shows the preferred. way of collapsing the bag, viz., to fold in the end walls, to fold down the fornt and back walls and to double back and fold down the lid before finally doubling back the collapsed structure as a whole to bring the flexible ends and bottom between the front and back walls.

In constructing the container the flexible material forming thebottom 2 and the unstiffened front and back walls 4, 5, together known as the body of the container, may be cut in one piece, the walls, 3, 3 being joined thereto by sewing a binding strip over the meeting edges.

The outer surface of the stiff front and rear walls 4 and .5 may be covered by a material which is similar or dissimilar to the material of which the flexible members of the suitcase are formed. The lid I, the bottom 2 and the walls A her 8.

3, 4 and 5 may be formed of a single piece of flexible material in which case the front and back walls 4, 5 are backed by or secured to rigidmembers which are preferably solid.

The flexible end walls 3 are adapted to be stiffened by backing members 8 which may be solid and are foldable from a position lying along an adjacent rigid wall of the container to a position lying against said flexible end ber is in its inoperative position, or the backing member may be folded so as to rest against its corresponding flexible wall 3 in its operative position, in which it bears upon the flexible end wall 3 and its free end engages the stiff back wall 5, thereby erecting or spreading apart the rigid walls 4, 5 and extending and supporting the flexible end walls 3. As shown in the drawings, each stiff backing member8 is substantially of the same depth as the flexible, end wall.

Lining material may be attached to the walls, lid and bottom sides of the case, while the backing members may be separately covered with lining such as fabric and the lining may be utilised to form the flexible hinge 8a.. In the illustrated construction, the rear wall 5 is provided with looking members for rigidly locking the backing members 8, '8, in operative position when the case is erected.

The locking member shown comprises a turnbutton 9 for the free end of each backing mem- Each turnbutton is pivotally secured to the inner side of the rear wall 5 and has a cammed edge [0 forengaging the corresponding hinged backing member 8. If desired the turnbuttons 9, may be bevelled as shown at H in Figs. 4 and 5 so asnot unduly to obstruct'the movement of the backing member 8 into and out of its operative position. Whenfthe turnbuttons are brought into engagement with the backing members, the'latter are pushed outwards against the; flexible end walls of the case and are held in'rigid spaced relationship while serving also rigidly to hold'apart the front and back walls of the; case; I

When locked in erect position the four'rigid members 4, 5, B, 8, form a rigid frame which holds the flexible bottom 2' as well as the flexible end walls 3', 3'of the case rigidly extended, and also the'flexible lid lis held rigidly extended when thecase is closed. If it is desired to collapse the case the turnbuttons 9 are rotated to release andpermit the backing members 8 tobe turned inwards about their'fiexible hinges so as to lie flat against the front wall 4 to which they are hinged' The flexible end walls 3, 3 of the case can then be folded inwards with a gusset or triangular fold on the oblique hinge lines 3a (Fig. 1) so that the-surface on each side of the crease lines at the hinges which form part of the exterior surface of the extendedcase come together-while the rigid walls are also in a position to be turned inwards about their longitudinal j edges. along which they are joined to the bottom 2; 'The'flanges 6, I, I, of the lid I are then turned inwards about their hinges, 59,19, lg and the lid panel with the flanges flat against it is doubledback on the hinge 1e so as to sandwich the flanges whereupon the lid as a whole so collapsed can be brought down substantially flat upon the collapsed back wall. Fig. 2 shows the whole structure just prior to the final act of laying all the collapsed walls against the handle wall 4 of the case.

If desired, the backing member may be in the shape of a frame-like skeleton 8" as shown in Fig. 6 which is hinged to one of the stiff walls and is secured by a turnbutton 9 or the like in its operative position. As shown in this view theheight of the hinged skeleton substantially corresponds to the height of the flexible end walls 3 of the case in order to support the top and bottom parts as well as the ends of the end wall.

The front wall 4 and the front flange 6 of the lid of the suitcase or the like may be provided in usual manner with suitable clasp l4 and lock means l5 and'carrier handle l5 means. Additional fastening means l2, I3, e. g., of the press stud kind may be provided releasably to fasten the end flanges l, I of the lid to the end walls 3, 3 of the suitcase.

Alternatively, one backing member may be hingedly mounted on the front wall 4 and the other backing member upon the back wall 5 of the suitcase. In such a case the turnbuttons or like locking members would, of course, be correspondingly disposed upon both front wall and back wall.

I claim:

1. In a collapsible suitcase having in combin-ation a rigid handle-carrying front wall and a rigid cover-varrying back wall opposite thereto, foldable end and bottom walls connecting such front and back walls and foldable inwards of the extended case when this is being collapsed so as to bring together those surfaces'on each side of the creases which form part of the exterior surface of the extended case and thereby to position said folded walls between said rigid Walls; movable spreader members for said end walls, each being hinged at one end to one of said rigid walls and movable from a position parallel with said rigid walls to a position substantially perpendicular thereto and against said inwardly foldable end walls for reinforcing said end walls against collapsing forces; securing means carried by the suitcase engageable with the spreaders for holding said spreader members in said position to eflectsaid reinforcement, and a foldable cover for the suitcase comprising a foldable panel portion hinged along one edge to said back wall, said panel having contiguous connected front and end flanges hinged to the front and endedges of said panel so as to be foldable inwardly against said panel and when folded away from the panel to be engageable down over the outer sides of the upper portions of said rigid front wall and said inwardly foldable end walls when the latter are in distended'position and inwardly reinforced and against the'panel when the latter is being doubled back so that the three flanges become positioned between the two parts of the panel defined by the central hinge, said cover when so doubled back on itself being rotatable away from the box part of the suitcase about said hinge axis of the cover to the cover-carrying back wall backward to a position overlying and flat against the outer back face of said back wall, permitting free access to the box part of the suitcase during the packing or unpacking thereof without cover interference and leaving said handlecarrying wall and handle thereon exposed and accessible for use in carrying the suitcase when the suitcase is fully collapsed.

2. A collapsible suitcase, comprising a rigid handle-carrying front wall and a rigid covercarrying back wall, foldable end and bottom walls connecting said rigid handle-carrying wall with said rigid cover-carrying wall and foldable inwards of the extended case when this is being collapsed so as to bring together those surfaces on each side of the folds which form part of the exterior surface of the extended case and thereby position said folded walls between said rigid walls when the suitcase is collapsed; movable spreader members for said foldable end walls, said spreader members each being hingedly connected at one end with one of the said rigid walls and adapted to be swung from a position parallel to said rigid walls to a position substantially perpendicular thereto and against said foldable end walls, said rigid spreaders thereby serving to hold said rigid handle-carrying and cover-carrying walls spaced apart in upstanding relation and reinforcing said foldable end walls in extended upstanding position to form the box part of the suitcase; releasable spreader securing means forming permanent parts of the suitcase and engageable with the free ends of the hinged spreaders for maintaining each spreader in its outwardly thrust position in reinforcing relation against its associated foldable end wall of the suitcase, said spreaders when released from said position being adapted to be swung on their hinges to overlay at least one of the rigid walls when the suitcase is collapsed; a foldable flanged cover for the foldable box part of the suitcase, said cover comprising a foldable panel portion hingedly connected to the rigid back wall of the case and having inwardly foldable contiguous dependent flanges extending around and hinged to the end and front edges of the panel and engageable down over the outer sides of the upper portions of the upstanding rigid handle-carrying wall and reinforced foldable end walls, said front and end cover flanges being also connected at their ends to form tight corners cooperating with said hinged panel portion of the cover to form a tight enclosure about the upper edges of the rigid front wall and reinforced foldable end walls, said end flanges each having at the end portion remote from the cover hinge an oblique flexible hinge extending to the junction of the end flange with the front flange to enable such end portion of each end flange to under-lie the front flange and to enable the said end flanges to lie flat against the cover panel, releasable means forming permanent parts of the suitcase for securing said front flanges of the cover and for securin the end flanges of the cover down over and to the outer sides of said front wall and reinforced foldable end walls so that said flanges and securing means therefor, in co-operation with said spreader securing means all co-act to maintain said spreaders and foldable end walls and cover in distended position against internal as well as external forces to which the suitcase may be subjected; said cover panel having a central longitudinal flexible hinge defined by a fold which induces said panel to double back on itself outwards of the extended case thereby to bring together those surfaces on each side of said hinge which form part of the interior surface of the extended case and said flanges of the cover each having a central transverse hinge which adapts such flanges to remain flat against the panel when the latter is being so folded so that the three flanges become positioned between the two parts of the panel defined by the hinge, said cover when so doubled back on itself being rotatable away from the box part of the suitcase about said hinge axis of the cover to the box part of the suitcase and backwards to a position overlying and flat against the outer back face of said back wall, permitting free access to the box part of the suitcase during the packing or unpacking thereof without cover interference and leaving said handle-carrying wall and handle thereon exposed and accessible for use in carrying the suitcase when the suitcase is fully collapsed.

3. Means extensible to form a suitcase comprising a rigid handle-carrying front wall and a rigid cover-carrying back wall, end and bottom walls connecting said front and back walls and folded to lie between said back and front walls 7 with those surfaces on each side of the creases which are to form part of the exterior of the extended case in adjacency; rigid spreader members each hinged at one end to one of said rigid walls and lying flat thereagainst, and a foldable cover comprising a panel part hinged along one edge to the said back wall and having contiguous flanges hingedly connected to the other three edges of the panel, said panel with said flanges folded inwards thereagainst being doubled back on a central longitudinal hinge which induces the surfaces on each side of the hinge which form a part of the interior surface of the extended case to come together so as to contain said flanges between the two parts of the panel, said lid lying in this condition flat against the rear face of the rigid back wall, said front and back walls being separable to extend said flexible end walls and said flexible bottom wall, and said spreader members being adapted to hinge out perpendicular to their aforesaid position to lie flat against said extended .end walls; securing means carried by the suitcase engageable with the spreaders for holding the latter in position to reinforce said end walls against collapsing forces; and said flanges when the lid panel has been opened out and folded forwards being foldable to stand up from said panel and to engage down over the outer sides of the upper portions of said rigid front wall and said reinforced end walls thereby to reinforce said front and end walls against bulging out by pressure exerted from within the suitcase.

4. A collapsible suitcase, comprising rigid front and back walls, flexible end and foldable bottom walls connecting said rigid front and back walls and foldable into position between said front and back walls when the suitcase is collapsed, rigid spreaders of substantially the outline of said flexible end walls, said spreaders each being hingedly connected at one end with one end of one of said rigid walls and engageable at the opposite free end with the oppositely disposed end of the other rigid wall to space said front and back walls apart and to hold said connecting nected with the rigid back wall and having dependent connected foldable front and end flanges engageable down over the rigid front wall and said internally supported extended flexible end walls, releasable means for securing said foldable front flange of the cover down over the rigid front wall and said connected end flanges extended down over the internally supported flexible end walls and a handle on said rigid front wall for carrying the case in either the extended or collapsed condition.

WALTER THOMAS CROSS. 

